After six years as the top farm team of the Phoenix Coyotes, the Rampage will be looking for a new NHL affiliate next season.

The Coyotes are announcing today that they have signed a working agreement with the Portland (Maine) Pirates of the AHL, a source close to the Coyotes said Sunday.

Multiple reports indicate the Florida Panthers will be the new NHL parent of the Rampage.

Officials with Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Rampage, could not be reached for comment. However, a spokesperson with the organization said Sunday an announcement on an affiliate is expected this week.

The Portland Press Herald said on its website that an announcement by the Pirates of an affiliation agreement with the Coyotes was set for 1 p.m. today.

The website also reported the Panthers likely were the Rampage's next parent club.

It would be the second time the Panthers have supplied young talent to San Antonio.

The Spurs and Panthers co-owned the Rampage during the minor league team's first three seasons in the AHL, from 2002-2005, recording one winning record and one playoff appearance.

During their six seasons using Coyotes players, the Rampage didn't fare much better. Although they posted three winning records, they made the playoffs only once, in 2007-08, when they lost in the first round to the Toronto Marlies.

But ownership questions in Phoenix have dogged the Coyotes for the past two years. The NHL bought the team out of bankruptcy in 2009. In May, the Coyotes worked out a deal to keep the team in Glendale, Ariz., for another season.

Beyond that, the team's future remains unclear.

The Panthers have sent their AHL talent to Rochester, N.Y., the past six seasons. On Friday, the AHL board of governors approved the NHL's Buffalo Sabres' purchase of the Rochester affiliate.